Benny becomes a vampire
by Girl-Who-Ran-With-Wolves
Summary: In a nasty confrontation with Jesse's father, Eli, Benny's is changed into a vampire; two-shot. struggling to find a purpose, Rory and Erica explore their humanity while Benny gets help coming to terms with being a creature of the night and losing his spell-caster power. Bennica romance too.
1. Chapter 1

"You evil son of a bitch!" Sarah screamed as Eli held a dagger to Ethan's throat. An ugly smirk played across his face before the vampire pulled his expression into a snarl. Fighting vampires was no easy task and it had taken the whole gang to lure Eli, murderer of the entire vampire council, to the darkened corridors Whitechapel High. For a while it had seemed as though they were winning after taking down three of Eli's minions but Rory was unconscious, Erica was still battling the remaining vamps, Ethan was a hostage and Benny… well, Sarah had to clue where Benny was. "Just let him go! He hasn't done anything to you!"

Eli chuckled cruelly "Hasn't done anything to me?" he cackled, jabbing a finger at himself and almost slashing Ethan's neck "You…_human children_… killed my son!"

"Look, we know how much you miss him but Jesse was evi-" Sarah was cut off by someone yelling a war cry behind Eli and rushing at him at extremely fast.

"FREEDOM!" shrieked Benny running towards Eli with a make-shift light saber. Benny sent the knife flying and a small cut appeared on Ethan's cheek but it was not too deep. Suddenly the atmosphere in the room changed, Rory's head began nodding as he awoke at the scent of hemoglobin. Erica snarled in his direction immediately stopped fighting, allowing the older, advanced vampires to grab her and Sarah who was also struggling to control herself. Eli let out a harsh laugh.

"Whoops." Benny said pulling a face at Ethan who punched him in the arm. Benny's eyes widened in mild pain. "OWW!"

The minions swarmed on the boys, snarling and growling. They were literally vibrating with excitement; the vampire holding Ethan was no longer able to tame her lust and licked the trail of blood from his cheek. Ethan pulled his head away in utter disgust as the she-leech shivered with the pleasure.

"Dude!" Benny said, staring at Ethan's captor in disbelief "_Gross!_"

It seemed as though Eli just couldn't stop laughing. They'd managed to drag Rory to his feet, rousing him from sleep and now all three vampires were resisting, roaring with the effort. Even Benny's vampire was chuckling slightly. Stale, foul smelling breath filled Benny's nostrils and he resisted the urge to gag. "Man, you really need a breath mint. What century were you born in because you've obviously never heard of mouthwash…" the vampire didn't find his joke very amusing because his grip tightened to almost bone crushing level and his fangs skimmed a sensitive part of between the jaw bone and ear.

"Your friend thinks he's funny," was Eli's way of addressing the gang. He turned to Benny "Damon felt offended by that." Eli exaggerated Damon's hurt expression only making angrier. He stifled a defiant roar at his superior and settled for taking his aggression out on Benny's fragile body, pulling and yanking a little too harshly.

"Well," Eli said, trying to concentrate over the noise and straining to hear "We can't stay long. The human janitor is approaching but know this, we are not finished. In fact, I'm going to leave you with a parting gift." Eli moved at impossible speed and stopped in front of Benny. Eli cocked his head from one side and then the other like a cobra analyzing a cornered mouse.  
He tilted the boy's head to one side and inhaled. "You smell good…" he commented, trying to scare the kid.  
Ethan heard Erica mutter under her breath: "Okay….._creepy_."  
"Thanks," Benny replied, panicked but, as usual, trying to make light of the situation. "It's Axe."

Without any warning, Eli's head snapped back before sinking into Benny's neck. A cry escaped his lips and the surprise made him sag against Damon who struggled to keep him upright.

A universal "No!" sounded and the others began fiercely straining against their holders; kicking, snarling, scratching, snapping and cursing. Erica arched her back like a feral, demented cat and tried to throw off the vampires off all the time calling Benny's name.

Once Eli had finished, he ordered Damon to drop him. Damon let him fall gently to the ground and shuffled on his feet, unsure of what to do next and settling for leaning on a locker. Eli recovered the dagger from the floor and clicked his fingers at the vampire holding Ethan. When she was too slow to respond, he smacked her on the head and she whimpered like a wounded dog.

"Give me his wrist," Eli commanded and this time her actions were much faster. She grabbed his arm and thrust it forward. The arm hovered above Benny who was groaning on the floor. Eli raised the dagger and slashed. Ethan cried out.

"NO!" Sarah screamed at the pursuing scene, "Don't touch him!"

Eli just sneered and held the wound upside down. He squeezed and blood oozed, dripping into Benny's open mouth. The taste roused him and he liked at it desperately. Eli let Ethan's arm fall as Benny forced himself up and charged at Ethan, fangs snapping as he tried to bite him.

"No…" Eli said in a soothing tone, running a hand in front of his face.

The real Benny came back and as he looked from face to face, sadness filled his expression and he disappeared in a burst of speed.

"Benny, wait don't go-" Ethan said solemnly but it was too late. Their friend was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

A few days later, Benny was back at school. He'd just turned up one day out of the blue. Ethan could tell from the moment he set eyes on his best friend he looked ill. Benny's face was pasty and anemic looking and his usually bright hazel eyes where a shade of oak, sunken in his skull with ashen rings circling them. Until lunch, Benny refused to talk to anyone. The school was abuzz with the… incident… when the five of them had broken into the school and been caught by the janitor. Although the charges were dropped, all four of them where still consider 'a person of interest' and Benny's father, Sheriff Weir, was keeping an exceptionally close eye on them.

Apparently Benny had been off sick but the Ethan was one of only a handful who knew the real reason for Benny's illness and fatigue. He had been avoiding them all most of the day and hadn't been feeding probably. Ethan grabbed Benny whilst he was heading for Chemistry. He pulled his friend into a deserted home-ec classroom.  
Benny hissed at him, fangs extended and his eyes glowed a strange green color. Realizing it was Ethan, his eyes dimmed to a muddy brown and he retracted his teeth. "What the holy hell are you doing?"  
"Benny you have to listen to me," Ethan persisted, wanting to punch some sense into his. "You're in danger-"  
Benny suddenly snapped, the anger clear in his scarlet cheeks "Like I was in danger fighting Eli? If you haven't noticed already, E, I'm pretty much always in danger."  
"You don't understand!" Ethan shouted, for the first time in his life Ethan _really_ wanted to hit his friend and he had no idea why so he just settled for screaming. "There are hunters here, Benny. Hunters. Here to kill you, Sarah, Erica, Rory! And that's not the only problem.  
"Oh?" Benny said mockingly but reeling in his rage "What exactly could be worse than friggin' hunters!"  
Ethan closed his eyes, feeling stupid as he spat out the words. "Wolves."  
Benny suppressed a laugh. "What do you mean like… werewolves?"  
"_NO!_" Ethan replied in exasperation, Benny was missing the point. "Sarah did some research. These…things… are called 'Lugaru' they appear in Hungarian folklore and unlike that guy we saw last term David Stachowski, these guys actually turn into real wolves."  
Benny sighed, "Whatever dude, just keep me out of it."  
Ethan's eyes widened, he couldn't believe he'd just been rejected by his best friend. "Benny! But we need you! You have to cast a spell-"  
"E, you're not getting it. When I became a vampire I lost my powers. Earth priests, spellcasters, are servants of nature. Vampires are an abomination of nature. You see the pattern? I gotta go to class, I'm already failing Chem." Benny pushed past Ethan and moved to the door, he reached for the knob but just before he turned he said "I'm sorry, dude, just…stay away from me." And Ethan could do nothing but gawk after his friend who left him stood like an idiot.

After Benny had strolled into Chem late and had got scolded by Mr. Strauss, Erica doubted whether it was the right time to ask him if Ethan's 'talk' had been successful. Then she realized she didn't care.  
"Hey, dude," Erica said, overhearing the two geeks' conversation "Are you okay?"  
"Just drop it. Okay, Rory?"  
Mr. Strauss began scribbling equations on the board that Erica really didn't care about before asking for volunteers.  
"Hey!" Erica hissed but the boys ignored her. "Testicle left and right!"  
Benny and Rory looked up at the same time and Erica could almost imagine their exasperated faces. A little smirk played across her face. "Go to hell, Erica." Benny snarled at her as the two turned, even Rory seemed shocked by this new Benny and Erica could do nothing but gawk at him as he turned his back on her.  
"Nerd!" she tried again but this time his back remained facing her infuriated face. Rory poked his shoulder and in a lightning fast move, Benny had hold of his hand in a death grip. Benny twisted and bone snapped. Rory stifled a cry of pain and Erica winced, the two shuffling away from him slightly. "Guess the talk with Ethan didn't work then…."  
"Nope." he responded coldly.

"Right." Mr. Strauss said, finished with his starter. "Because my class is most times insanely stupid, I'm going to try a group experiments to see if two heads are indeed better than one or in Mr. Clarks case," Strauss continued, planting an aging hand on Rory's shoulder. "Less than one."  
"Oh cool!" Rory said suddenly "Did you hear that? I'm smarter than just one person!" Mr. Strauss face palmed his hand and shook his head solemnly before speaking again.  
"Right." He said, again, and glanced around the class. "Now station one will be Erica-"  
Almost immediately Erica's name was mentioned, the hands of the entire male population of the class excluding Benny and Ethan, hands shot in the air along with a tiny proportion of girls who were brave enough to volunteer. Erica smiled to herself.  
"I didn't ask for volunteers!" an exhausted Mr. Strauss snapped, "Put your hormonal little hands down. Weir, you're with Erica. Go."

As Rory vacated his seat, Erica slipped into it as Benny began pouring bicarbonate of soda into a jar. Benny felt something warm heating his groin and looked down to see Erica sliding her hand up his thigh. Benny was so shocked he almost dropped his jar.  
"What are you…d-d-?" he stammered and fought to regain control of his erratic mind and heart.  
"You likey?" she replied, leaning in closer.  
Benny gave her a malicious smile. "You're not my type."  
Erica suddenly grabbed the back of his neck, yanking him closer so they were only inches away. Benny could see the curve of her lip coated in red lipstick; it had been so beautifully applied and even that it seemed impossible it could ever come out of place apart from doing one activity that Benny sincerely wished of doing. "I'm everyone's type." She almost begged.  
"Time to switch!" Strauss announced and Erica begrudgingly left her place and Rory reappeared.  
"Dude! Did you see that! Erica was totally hitting on you." Rory said in awe.  
"Yeah. I saw." Benny almost purred. He added the sucrose to the compound. The solution was beginning to take form, looking close to crystalizing. Rory grabbed a blue liquid and poured it in. The solution fizzed slightly and then began to fuse.  
"So now you're talking…" Rory said quietly.  
Benny sighed, turning to him. "I'm sorry I'm being an ass, man. I just need time."  
"I get that," Rory said and for the first time he didn't sound like dumb-ass, nerdy Rory he seemed like an socially awkward but dependable friend. "I mean, I loved becoming a vampire but I know it's not like that for everyone. Especially Sarah."

"Switch!" Strauss shouted and then Sarah appeared at Benny's station. She had a forced, sad smile on her face and her eyes were red and puffy from crying.  
"You doing okay?" they both asked each other at the same time. That made them both smile and it felt as if what seemed like an eternity of tension was gone in just that moment. This time their smiles' stayed. "Jinx." Benny called and Sarah's smile grew again.  
"So… are you good?" Sarah said awkwardly, unsure of what to do with her hands.  
"Not really." Benny replied, adding a clear liquid to his mixture. "You?"  
Sarah dabbed at a leaking eye. "Not really." She finally admitted, on the verge of an emotional outburst.  
"Hey?" Benny said, frowning. "What happened?"  
"Ethan broke up with me!" she sobbed, hugging him. Benny immediately stiffened with the surprise but then relaxed against her, melting into the embrace. Sarah smelt of citrus fruits and baby powder. "He-e-H-h-He sai-d-d that you-you wouldn't help and he-he coul-l-dn't protect me if we were together because o-f-f-f-f you-u!"  
Benny stomach flipped, he felt sick and guilty. He tried to calm Sarah, holding her tightly. "Okay! Okay!" he finally said, caving in. "I'll help!"  
"R-really," Sarah asked, dabbing at her eyes.  
Benny closed his eyes and sighed "Yes."  
"Thank you!" she squealed, hugging him again. Normally, a hug this hard would have crushed his lungs but this time was different. This time he was a vampire.

Ethan was waiting for Sarah outside of her chemistry class. As Benny left, Ethan saw him smiling to himself. Sarah emerged, a triumphant look on her face.  
"Did it work?" Benny asked with crossed fingers.  
"Like magic." Sarah pulled Ethan into a kiss, it was deep and passionate. Ethan thought her lips tasted like butter because he just melted against him. Ethan ran his fingers through Sarah's tangled locks and they both pushed free, gasping for air.  
"My beautiful little actress," he said, as they parted to go to Geometry.


	3. Chapter 3

Later that very evening, Benny called Ethan. He'd discovered a lot about the Lugaru including that there was a Pack right here in Whitechapel. According to the legends, Wolfsbane was the most effective offence against these things except Ethan had no idea where to get any from.  
"I can sneak some of Grandma but it could be hard," Benny replied. It wouldn't be hard at all, Benny had immense speed now and could steal it without her ever knowing except her house was surrounded by Rosemary and Mountain Tree Ash, making it difficult for him to get in without her sensing it. That was a problem. "Don't count on me."  
"Okay, thanks, dude. Hey, are- are you okay?" Benny asked tentatively.  
"Nope." Benny replied hanging up. He really didn't want to talk to Ethan at the moment. He was bummed about having to help him in the first place but he'd made a promise to his friend, Sarah, that he couldn't go back on. Benny threw the phone on the sofa and flicked the channel onto the Olympics, the only thing on was the show jumping and normally he would have turned it off and sat in stony silence, contemplating what he was going to do about…the _situation_ but he just wanted to push the responsibilities away for a moment. So he just watched as a brown stallion ridden by Reed Kessler leaped over an obstacle that was supposed to resemble Stonehenge. The horse just caught the edge of one but miraculously it wasn't knocked off.

As Benny was shamefully beginning to enjoy watching the surprisingly common seventeen year old, the doorbell rang. Benny listened for a pulse but no heartbeat came back to him. Benny frowned and narrowed his eyes, moving tentatively to the door. He opened the door and inch just enough to see a shock of blonde hair and dark grey eyes.  
"Go away, Erica." Benny spat harshly, almost managing to close the door but Erica put a stiletto boot out, preventing it from shutting completely.  
"I just wanna talk." She said innocently, putting her hands up in a surrender sign and removing her foot. Benny sighed and closed his eyes in exhausting, opening the door for her to come in.

When Erica entered Benny's house the first thing he noticed was the house was completely silent apart from the blare of the television and the small hum of the refrigerator. "Where are your parents?"  
"Out," he said, leaning on the back of the couch. Benny's house had no hall so as soon as visitors entered they stepped right into the tiny living room. "It's date night."  
"Really?" Erica questioned, skeptically.  
"No," he replied, letting the truth slip. Something softened in his features and he didn't look so confident anymore "They're working."  
"They're always working." Erica mumbled bellow human hearing level. She looked around the living room and caught a peak of the kitchen. Dirty dishes were stacked high in the sink and some looked like the food on them had been left rotting for days. Benny's father was the Sherriff and always getting called out twenty four hours and Benny's mum was a doctor and worked all day sometime she skipped sleep for four days in a row or so Erica had been told.  
Her eyes reached back to Benny who'd hadn't stopped staring at her. He looked incredibly pale and sickly and just to prove her point, Benny exploded into hacking coughs.  
"You haven't been feeding properly?" She said. It was more a statement then a question. Benny hadn't exactly been over joyed to become a vampire.  
"Probably." He said with a smirk but it faltered on his face. He knew he was dying and he didn't care. Maybe he wanted to die. Erica sat down next to him on the couch and he switched off the Olympics with a sigh.  
"I don't want you to die…" the words were an accident, tumbling out of her mouth but they couldn't have been more true. Erica thought just how much a big part of her life he was and couldn't really imagine normal (or normal for her at least) life without him.  
"I don't want to die but I don't want to be a vampire, either." He coughed again after he'd spoken and this time blood came up. It had been a month since he'd last drunk human blood and his body was slowly shutting down. Erica didn't want to think about the agony he was in. It was too much to bare.  
"You need to drink, Benny." She said as he swayed in his seat. The coughing began again. A miserable, retching sound of the sick. He collapsed against her and she caught him in his arms, his blank face was drenched in sweat and his chapped lips coated in his own blood.  
"Why do you destroy people, Erica? Just because somebody made you a big, bad vampire doesn't give you the right to ruin people's lives." The question shocked me because no one had ever talked to me like that before. I was insulted but happily surprised that someone was standing up to me. I bent down and so my lips brushed his ear while I spoke.  
"Because they destroyed me," I replied and told him one of the secrets that only Sarah knew "I used to be epileptic before becoming a vampire. It wasn't anything major, I used to get a few seizures every year when I was at home and I took my meds. Then one day I had a fit in class and people were saying I was faking. Everyone except Sarah who showed them my little medical bracelet. You want to know what happens next. I piss myself and they all start _laughing_. At least I couldn't remember my fits until some asshole went and put it on Youtube!"  
"I'm sorry," Benny said in a weak voice probably because he couldn't think of anything else to say to what she'd just told him.  
"So am I." and then she kissed him, it was a short, sweet goodbye kiss that you saw in movies except Erica had meant it to be until she realized that he had grown suddenly limp in her arms. "Benny? Benny!"


	4. Chapter 4

When Benny had gone limp in Erica's arm, she'd moved to her car faster than the speed of sound. Erica had shoved him into the backseat of her Porsche she had 'borrowed' from her dinner guest last night. It was cramped in the back but it would do for now.  
"Stay with me you bastard!" she screamed at him as the engine roared into life. It thundered from his house and began to cruise down the suburban streets of Whitechapel until it reached the center of town. Once she got there, she slowed. It was truly date night and couples were pouring into and out of the two night clubs in Whitechapel: Aftermath and Lunar Close. Erica knew one girl that escaped from the club, far too young to be there and clubbing alone. Her name was Charlotte Simmons and she had once been friends with Sarah but then Sarah became a vampire and Lottie was stuck as a social pariah who people laughed at and hated on. Tonight all that would change. Tonight Lottie would become sexy and confident and no one would ever even smirk at her again. Erica knew Lottie's haunts and habits; she'd kept an eye on the girl. Making sure she was safe. She also knew that Lottie would pass an alley on her way home. The Porsche crawled along the side of an alley like a rich adulterer searching for prostitutes and came to a silent stop.

Lottie came stumbling into the street, swigging a bottle of Jack Daniels. She was giggling and kept falling over. Charlotte was completely wasted.  
As she passed the alley, I leaped from the car and pushed her in. Shadows enveloped us and my eyes struggled to adjust for a second as they changed to night vision. Charlotte was searching around frantically and I took the opportunity to use vampire speed to extract Benny from the car. Erica lay his head lightly on the alley floor and turned to a terrified Lottie.  
"W-who's there? Who are you?"  
Erica glanced at the handbag Lottie had dropped on the floor. A small bottle filled with pills had toppled out. It was labeled SSRI or, in lame man's terms, antidepressant. According to the bottle they had been supplied for bulimia. Erica began to read the side effects aloud.  
"Side effects may include: insomnia, headaches, diarrhea, blurred vision, low libido, dizziness, excessive sweating, shaking and trembling, acne and weight gain. Sheesh!"  
Lottie voice turned to low, shaking whisper. "W-w-who ar-re you?"  
"Let's just say we have a mutual friend," replied Erica in a kind, soothing voice. Benny had little time left and she needed to hurry it along. "You want to be thinner but that wasn't the real reason for the bulimia, was it?" Erica urged remembering the rumors she had heard about Lottie and her father at school.  
"No." Charlotte said as tears began to fill her bright, brown eyes.  
Erica reached out and wiped away the tears that made tracks across her blusher. "Why did you really do it, Charlotte?"  
"Because of him," she sobbed leaning into Erica's shoulder. Her hair smelt of citrus fruits but it didn't mask the hate and shame that radiated off her. "Because he touches me."  
Erica struggled to control herself. "Because of who?"  
Lottie went silent for a moment and Erica thought that she'd try to leave but she let out a long, defeated breath before barely whispering. "My father."

"What if I told you," Erica said caressing Lottie's throat and thigh. "If all that could go away and everything else… got even _better_."  
Lottie pulled herself away from Erica and looked up into her face with a longing, awed expression. "How?"  
Erica's eyes glowed the greenish color of a vampire's and illuminated the midnight alley. Charlotte's face filled with amazement and fear as Erica's fangs extended. "Let me show you…"

Then Erica bit Charlotte. Her blood was tainted by a heavy alcoholic essence and tasted sour. Charlotte screamed but was quickly smothered by Erica's icy hand. When Charlotte pulled away she was whimpering but weak. Erica bit into her wrist and a small cry escaped her lips, Erica squeezed the blood into Benny's open mouth.  
"Come on, Benny, drink!" Benny's tongue moved on the blood and swallowed, his eyes snapping open. Erica offered him Charlotte's throat and he took it ravenously. Charlotte cried out as Erica took her wrist and drank. Erica pulled Benny away when she struggled to get the blood from the girl's veins.  
"Why?" said Benny glaring at her with complete and utter fury. "Why did you save me?"  
Erica's mouth fell open at his ungratefulness. "I thought-"  
"I WANTED TO DIE!" he suddenly yelled at her, his face crimson. He was so angry that spittle flew from his mouth and his veins popped on his neck. Benny raced off in a blur of speed and Erica sat in the alley next to the changing girl defeated. When she finally wiped away her tears and composed herself, she led Charlotte to the Porsche.  
"What's happening?" Lottie spat through gritted teeth as the car zoomed away. She kept twisting and turning, moving position restlessly and screaming.

Erica rushed her up the porch steps and into her house. No one was home and so Erica went straight to her room and yanked the mini-fridge door open. Erica grabbed a blood bag and flew back down the stairs, throwing it onto the kitchen table.  
"What's happening?!" Charlotte howled, gripping her abdomen that would now be going into a spasm.  
"You're becoming a vampire," Erica replied flatly, her mind spinning. She ran a hand through her blonde locks and blinked away tears. She couldn't believe how ungrateful Benny had acted after she'd just saved his life. "Now drink that." Erica swept from the table and with a war cry, swiped all the items off all the surfaces in the kitchen whilst Charlotte desperately sucked the red fluid from the clear bag. She didn't even hear the crockery shatter. Too filled with anger to even notice that as soon as the bag was empty, the newborn left in a burst of speed.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day at school, Benny refused to talk to anyone but he wasn't the one everybody focused on. Charlotte Simmons, the anorexic nerd, had suddenly turned up at school with flawless skin, a great body and a renewed confidence.  
She wore a skirt that was barely legal accompanied by a tight fitting white vest and a leather jacket. The years of alcohol abuse had lifted in just a day and she seemed almost perfect.  
"Hello, boys," she said, strutting past Rory and Ethan's table. Benny stayed silent, unaffected by the girl crackling with female sexuality as all the other male population gawked, almost falling over with the inability to look away. Girls snickered, disgusted at the once respectable woman.  
"Erica wants to see you," Lottie said to Benny, walking over like a runway model. "Now."  
"Does my face look like it gives a crap." Benny growled, brushing past her. He still couldn't believe she'd saved him. He'd wanted – _needed_ – to die to keep those he cared about alive. Now, he would just be a monster, a pawn in some bigger end game.  
"No, but she saved you, right? So she gives a crap about you." Charlotte replied and swept away. Benny stared after her through narrowed eyes. Perhaps she was right. Maybe he should go and see Erica.

I waited for Benny in an abandoned classroom. Vampires didn't need to tell each other where they'd be. They could sense each other.  
He entered with a slight edge to himself, his jaw was tight set and his fists were curled into tight balls at his side.  
"What do you want?" he spat and I cowered slightly. I felt like an idiot of course, I hated how he always made me feel like an idiot.  
"I just wanted to say," I didn't know why I was apologizing. I'd saved his life for a god's sake! "I'm sorry…"  
Benny cocked his head to the right like a curious dog. I disliked how his expression was unreadable. "I'm sorry, if you wanted to die but I just thought-"

To my shock and awe, Benny reached forward and crashed his lips into mine. It was a rough, passionate French kiss, full of desire and lust. Benny was the first to pull away. "Don't worry about it." He said as he made his way from the classroom, heading for home.

Eli watched as the young vampire padded down the steps of the High School and made his way to the bike stands. Furtively, he followed him at a safe distance as not to allow him to detect Eli's presence. To Eli's surprise, he made his way through the woods, a common trail that lead a person past Whitechapel's little graveyard. Not many people died in Whitechapel. It was a place for youth and beauty and radiance. Most of the old disliked the nightlife – well, the clubs – and moved away to die. The aged made Eli's stomach churn, dying, rotting things that symbolized what happened to worthless humans. They smelled of decay, moth balls and mould. Not something you want to eat.  
The vampire stopped and lay his bike near the cemetery gates. Eli snaked through the graves, keeping low and was stunned to see his air-draw a cross over a grave and leave.  
Eli kept to the shadows until he got on his bicycle and left. Eli erected his back and crept forward to look at the grave he'd drawn the crucifix over:

**LAURA WEIR **

**1993-2008**

**Beloved Daughter, Sister, Fiancé and Friend**

**Rest In God's Holy Light. **


	6. Chapter 6

Benny could stare at that face all day. He was glaring endlessly into a newspaper clipping from the 15th of June, 2008.

**Local Whitechapel Girl Found Slain**

And peering out through glassy eyes was Laura Weir, bleached blonde Emo hair with a single rosy highlight and round, brown eyes like saucers, excited and full of life.  
The police had barely mounted an investigation into her death mainly because Laura's killer left no evidence, no trace that anyone had killed her. Not even the dust around her body was disturbed. A lame search party and a few questioning cops was all Laura got. This was before my grief stricken father was elected Sherriff.  
I knew from the start whoever gave Laura her second scarlet smile would never be found. Maybe it was something in their eyes, walking around like they were half-asleep. It was like they couldn't wait for it all to be over; so they could go home to their loved ones, get hot food in their bellies, put their feet up and forget the whole horrid lot. But Laura would never come home. Laura would never eat or rest again. Because Laura was buried in harsh dirt, rotting and looking down in shame at the Whitechapel police department for abandoning her.  
Maybe they could sense there was something more to Laura's death, like it was broadcasting on a low frequency of unexplainable and strange that was too much for them to handle.  
But now Ethan had the power to find the evil son of a bitch that slit Laura's throat so deep they almost tore off her head. People liked to tell stories about Laura if you looked in the right places. Laura wasn't a tourist attraction but in Whitechapel you can guarantee that if you walked into any teenage girl's slumber party they would be trying to scare each other with 'Whitechapel's Smiling Hitchhiker' legend.  
Laura was killed on her way to a Halloween dance. Some say it was her boyfriend, Chase, who blew town a few months after her death. Others think it was her chauffeur who is always someone different depending on the generation. Most think it was some pervert who saw something he liked and wanted it.  
The last one repulsed Benny the most. To think of what his sister had to go through in her last moments was bad enough but to think some low-life scum put his hands on her… it was enough to make anyone's skin crawl.  
Everyone says she never stayed dead. That she haunts the darkened stretch of highway that connected Whitechapel with varying other towns in Ontario. Benny had never been brave enough to go back but his mother kept going on about how she felt 'presences' and saw fleeting images of Laura out the corner of her eye.  
People called her 'the Smiling Hitchhiker' because if you were very "lucky" you could catch her in your car headlights trying to hitch a ride back to Whitechapel, her sad smile illuminating her pale face and her deeper red one staining her angel wings crimson.

Now Benny was a vampire, he could finally figure out what happened to Laura, ghost or not. Whatever killed her was not human. That was certain. But then again, it didn't seem like a vampire kill either. Vampires tended to be more savage and less precise, into ripping and tearing and stabbing but most of all, they weren't sloppy. They made sure bodies were properly disposed of or at the very least did something to throw the trail. It could have been a ghost but if it had been a weak one, all they could have done was frighten Laura and a poltergeist were so full of rage that they would have torn Laura limb from limb, same with a werewolf. No, this was something different.  
Benny heard the front door open with a resounding click. Human ears wouldn't have noticed it but it made Benny's hairs stand on end. It was too early to be his mom or his dad. The floorboards normally creaked under weight of a person but they didn't make a sound. Benny could sense if it was a vampire and hear if it was human. So what the hell was it?  
A low growl sounded just outside his door. Strangely it was mixed with confidence and had a taunting tone. Like it was daring Benny to attack whatever _it_ was. Benny tenderly grabbed the handle and twisted, he shut the door behind himself to avoid it trying to pull a cheap B-movie line scare by slamming it shut.  
But – in true horror movie style - when Benny reached the hallway he saw no sign of disturbance. He didn't drop his guard. Benny had learned to trust his instincts and right now the constricting feeling in his gut was tightening. Benny moved through each room silent as the wind whipping through the night. He decided not to let his presence known and give away his position, anyone else might try to make as much noise as possible and turn every light on to frighten away scary things but generally that didn't work. It just made the game more interesting and thrilling.  
Finally it came to the bathroom, at the other end of the hall. This would be nerve racking even for a creature of the night. Having to walk along the darkened corridor, pass each ominous door until he was face to face with the entrance to hell.  
Benny allowed his hand to reach out for the knob, it creaked under his grip and he resisted the urge to bolt the other way. He was a vampire for chrissake! Benny pulled with a roar to find….

…. Black shadows in an empty bathroom. He switched the light on and swished his head from side to side rapidly searching for the invisible intruder. Benny sighed and shook his head at himself just as he caught a glimpse of an inky eyed wolf in the bathroom mirror.

The beast snarled before he could turn and threw him down the stairs like a rag-doll. Benny felt his skull smash against each step, each crack somehow managing to sound louder than the other – as if they were trying to outdo each other – before landing at the bottom of the steps. He way there for a second staring up at the vicious hellhound. Because it was truly something out of the pits of Hades. It was at least three times bigger than a normal wolf with thick ebony fur and equally as dark eyes, it had rows and rows of jagged teeth drooling with thick, mucus-y saliva that hit the floor like a tap with a constant drip, drip, drip. Its claws made a rapping sound against the laminate flooring before it dragged its awful nails along Benny's floor, purposefully damaging it and looking down at him triumphantly.  
Benny leaped into a crouch and snarled. Then the wolf was gone… just, gone. Disappearing in a blur until it was completely invisible. Benny looked around panicked. Was it gone?  
Pain soared through his thigh. He stared down in disbelief and fury at the wolf clamped around his leg. It pulled and muscle ripped. Blood and gore squirted up onto Benny's face momentarily blinding him. He fell on his ass. The thing released and tried to squeeze those death jaws on his arm. The disease ridden fangs scrapped his fingers as it missed by an inch. Fuck. Benny glanced down at his leg and almost passed out. He could see white slithers of bone beneath the shredded ligaments.  
The hell-beast tried to grab him again but Benny was ready this time. With his one good leg, he booted it in the face. Blood splayed from the hound's mouth and a tooth flew onto the floorboard. Benny smiled. The wolf rounded on him. A deafening crack sounded. Something connected with the things shoulder and smoke began to wheeze off it. It screeched like a banshee. A man wielding a sawed-off shotgun entered the room through the door that he'd slammed off his hinges. He kept firing and eventually the wolf disappeared in a burst of flame.  
"Eli," whispered Benny breathlessly as the rest of his leg healed. It now left nothing off the encounter apart from clothes drowning in blood.  
The lean man didn't even look at him. Something passed behind those oceanic eyes. Something that terrified Benny more than anything he'd ever encountered. Behind the calm, collected demeanor of a century maybe even millennia old vampire was something stronger than just worry. It was fear. The blond headed man, who looked around thirty but was probably staggeringly older, threw him an elegant dagger which Benny caught effortlessly. "We need to talk."


	7. Chapter 7

Eli and Benny are moving through a midnight forest straight out of hell. The night air is heavy, dank with the stagnant odor of decomposing leaves. Twisted vines and thorns reach up and snag at their clothing, drawing them nearer to the dark abyss of the forest floor. An icy wind makes the trees groan and rips away the last of autumn's golden leaves. Around them the forest comes to life with a chorus of wildlife, chittering in the trees and mewling in the bracken. Winter has truly come to Whitechapel.  
The path slowly disappears as they venture further into the woods. Tiny reflector eyes glisten in the moonlight. In the clearing, the man and boy stare at the heaving smoke shaking from an old, ram-shackled house.  
"You have got to be kidding me," Benny moans as they approach the porch. This certainly wasn't what he was expecting. "_This _is your liar?"  
Eli sighs as he applies the key to the lock. "We are vampires and therefore we have to, oh, what do you're generation say? 'Lay low'?"  
It did make sense but why did the Vampire Council want Eli to lie low but not Sarah and the others? Very strange. "I just thought that with being centuries old and all that you would be rich I mean you've had, what, three hundred years to gain you're fortune?"  
Eli made a noise in his throat that sounds like something between a cry and a laugh. "Three hundred years to lie and cheat, three hundred years to gamble and three hundred years to have to just leave everything behind and run from a warzone or exposure. You tell me how I'm supposed to build a fortune from nothing."  
Benny didn't reply as they entered the decrepit house. A smell of rot lingered in the air and then Benny's hairs stood on end as an eerie silence filled the house even though there was life hiding in the depths. "There are other vampires here?"  
"Yes," Eli replied, moving to couch in a distracted way. Benny should have known they wouldn't have a TV but he was hoping for something a little more modernized. The entire house seemed to be trapped between 1850-1950; sure it had one of those old red telephones you would see in any low-budget drama of the fifties but it also had hunting trophies mounted high on the walls that glared at you with accusing glassy eyes. A dying fire gave warmth to the living room. It was inviting and Benny considered sitting down in front of it and going to sleep. "But we're not a Nest or anything. Many of my progenies live with me."  
On closer inspection the house wasn't that fine. There were crystals missing from the chandelier that hung at a precarious angle. The sides of the Persian rug and expensive Victorian furniture were frayed, Benny noticed as Eli sat down in an armchair tucked quaintly in the corner. A large fluffy black cat with an evil looking face came padding into the room. It's tail was held high as if it thought it might get contaminated if it touched the floor.  
The cat jumped into the man's lap and began mewing loudly which eclipsed the silence. "This is Artemis," Eli said, gesturing softly to the cat. It's evil reflector eyes spun on Benny and regarded him the same way in which a Lord might regard a peasant. "He's a Ragamuffin."  
"I thought animals hated vampires." Benny speculated remembering a movie he once saw where the survivors of a vampire apocalypse used dogs to find out if someone was a vampire.  
Eli sighed and shook his head. "It's common lore nowadays yes but inaccurate. In fact, vampires have quite an aptitude for other creatures though mostly house pets like cats and dogs. But Vlad the Impaler who is a well-known vampire in our society, was speculated to keep wild Eurasian wolves from France and western Europe-"  
"Okay, whatever," Benny cut in before Eli could launch into a monologue, "Why did you bring me here?"  
Eli gives me a knowing look like Benny should know exactly what he's talking about but sometimes playing dumb is his only defense. Benny kind of liked Eli – aside from him trying to butcher his friends and turning him into a vampire – he seemed to have this air to him and he had saved his life. "Why are you investigating 'the Smiling Hitchhiker' case?"  
"What?" Benny questioned, perplexed. Then it came to him, he'd forgotten it in the midst of battling that creature back at his house and when the headache had sprung right between his eyes, Benny had been more distracted by the pain than to notice. "Well, she's my sister and her murder's been a cold case for over five years now."  
"Benny," Eli said, pushing Artemis off his leg. The cat sprang to the floor with a low growl and strutted from the room. "Some cases are best left open."  
"But-" Benny began, trying to spit out some excuse to keep investigating. It was his sister for god's sake. Didn't she deserve some kind of justice or retribution for what was done to her? Benny glanced around at the fine furniture and years of records and the charade melted away. All of it was just a cover for the insecurities of a race in denial. The vampires were dying. And they knew it. "Wait… is this something to do with that _thing_ that attacked me?"  
Eli's eyes narrowed as if he knew far more than he was willing to admit. "Do you know what the thing was that attacked you?"  
"No," Benny replied truthfully.  
"That was a common fire demon but it isn't like the one you battled that possessed your friend Sarah. That was more of a kindergarten trickster spirit compared to that wolf and the wolf was only a foot soldier. There are things out there," Eli seemed to be visibly repulsed to even say it. He almost shuddered. "The things you read and about and watch in movies, they're just foot soldiers too that some people have been unfortunate enough to encounter and written books or scripts and directed movies about. The real nasty things are luckily rare and extremely powerful, that's what killed your sister. It made it look like a human killer but murdered her because it was _fun, _Benny. And now it's here, in Whitechapel."  
Benny felt a sudden, pissed off rush of adrenaline that made him want to charge out the door and hunt the thing down until he killed it or it killed him or he killed himself. Benny even angled his body towards the door. Eli seemed to calculate this and side-stepped, blocking the exit. "You must understand," Eli urged, as something not alive grabbed the handle of the front door. "That you can't go after this thing because the reason it's here is to kill you."


End file.
